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Unit 11 - The Erawan Museum |
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Written by Richard Barrow
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After eating lunch at Bang Nampheung Floating Market, Malee’s father drives them home. Along the way they stop at The Erawan Museum which is shaped like a giant three-headed elephant. They join a tour of the museum, which costs 150 baht for adults and 50 baht for children under 15.
| Jane: |
Wow! That is a very big elephant! What is the tour guide saying? I don’t understand Thai.
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| Malee: |
She is explaining how big it is. It is 43.6 meters high which is the same as a 14-floor building. The body weighs 250 tons. |
| Jane: |
That is very big. That must have taken them a long time to build. |
| Malee: |
I am not sure but I remember that they were building it for a long time. Maybe four or five years. There is a museum in the basement and later we can go up inside the elephant. |
| Jane: |
Really? Is it hollow then? |
| Malee: |
Yes, in the belly of the elephant there is a room with Buddha images. One of the back legs is a lift and the other is a spiral staircase.
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| Jane: |
Look up there. Is that a small window in the belly of the elephant? I think I can see someone. |
| Malee: |
Yes, there is a good view from up there. Come with me, we are going down into the museum now. |
| Jane: |
Can we take pictures here?
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| Malee: |
No, can you see that sign over there? It says pictures are not allowed inside the museum. But you can take some pictures upstairs. |
| Jane: |
How many times have you been here? |
| Malee: |
I have been here twice before. This part of the museum is a bit boring. There are only porcelain pots. Let’s wait for my parents outside.
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| Jane: |
Are those people over there praying? |
| Malee: |
Yes they are praying for good luck. My sister came here once to pray for good luck to pass her exams. |
| Jane: |
Did she pass? |
| Malee: |
Yes she did. The next day she came back and put some sugar cane and bananas on the shrine for the elephant. |
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VOCABULARY:
The Erawan Museum = พิพิธภัณฑ์ช้างเอราวัณ
explaining = อธิบาย
basement = ห้องใต้ถุนตึก
hollow = ที่เป็นโพรง
belly = ท้อง
spiral staircase = บันไดวน
not allowed = ไม่อนุญาต
porcelain = เครื่องลายคราม
sugar cane = ต้นอ้อย
 UNIT 10 |
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